Alexia Avina
New York-based American dreampop singer-songwriter Alexia Avina shares new single Let This Die, the second track to be shared from forthcoming EP Crush due 14th October via Lost Map.
With four studio albums, and numerous EPs and singles under belt since 2014 the prolific singer-songwriter composes lush soundscapes and atmospheric dream pop , that layer sparse and poignant lyrics. For latest EP Avina shifter her focus to synths an undertaking which she had previously not attempted, discussing this Avina comments “Writing this EP was very freeing. I felt compelled to write something that was light, fun, and easy. It really helped break me out of the box I was keeping myself in creatively. I felt more emboldened to do something that I felt sounded good and that I liked, rather than thinking about everything else external to it.”
Written and recorded in her bedroom in Ridgewood, Queens, Avina collaborated with Alex DeSimine (Talk Bazaar) and Tea Sea, who brought drum programming and some additional synths to the mix. “As writing this EP was an exercise in freeing myself from my own expectations and limitations,” says Alexia, “it was also freeing myself up to collaboration – being less precious and more receptive to others' input has allowed me to fully embrace my own sound and its potential.”
Leaving behind any sense of preciousness or expectation, the Crush EP is an escapade of swirling synths and mesmerizing beats, an introspection of infatuation. After leaving a long-term relationship and moving to New York from Massachusetts, Avina saw an opportunity to reclaim her sense of self, which included tuning in to desire. The collection explores getting swept up while at the same time recognizing that there’s nothing more to a crush than the energy you put into it: “I wanted to sustain and imbue the fallacy of crushing with focus,” she says, “even if it felt ephemeral and fabricated. I also wanted to chart the progress of crushing: from questioning and its initiation, to letting go of this thing that actually doesn’t exist at all.”
It's a departure from her previous releases, yet the Crush EP still contains the core of Alexia Avina: “I think what’s interesting about these songs is that they feel like the opposite side of the spectrum of my usual output, but they also fit within the same world,” she says. “Even though it feels like a very different sound, it still has the same essence – just channelled through a slightly different stream.”
